Film Review: Donnie Darko

Director: Richard Kelly

Released in 2001, it was a sleeper hit that didn't perform amazingly at the box office but slowly won over an army of movie fans and became a real cult hit. It grossed just $7.6 million worldwide at the box office but is now synonymous as a modern classic film despite its slightly dated 80's look. A spin-off sequel entitled S. Darko was released in 2009 which focused on Samantha, Donnie's younger sister. The sequel was panned by critics.

Donnie, Gretchen and "Frank"

Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a troubled teenager living in the suburbs of Virginia who is woken in the middle of the night by a mysterious figure in a giant rabbit costume that tells him the world will end in 28 days. In the morning, Donnie returns home after waking up on a Golf course to find a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. The visits of the giant rabbit named "Frank" changes Donnie's behavior in a negative way which deeply concerns his parents and his psychologist.

The film is deeply shrouded in the mystery surrounding "Frank" that appears at different times during the film but is only ever seen when Donnie can speak alone with him. It creates a lot of tension as to why Donnie continues to see him and whether it a delusion or that he is actually there in front of him, with Donnie's sleepy eyes adding to the idea that this may be him in some sort of trance. Kelly does a good job of pitching this creepy story amongst a very normal town with people engaging in the usual mundane activities. Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent in the lead role of the out of control teenager and for me adds another film to the list that he's impressed me in.

Donnie stabbing at "Frank"

*spoiler alert*
The ending was something I was concerned about as it seemed to weave towards the final act, I was hoping that whatever happened would live up to the impressive tension and drama that had been created. I certainly did not see the ending coming at all and was very impressed with a film that was slightly ambiguous about exactly what the ending meant. Naturally the film deals with an alternate universe which Donnie survives when in reality he should have died under the jet engine, many believe that his actions in the final act were to help go back in time so that he would die and set a different course of events so that others might live. In effect sacrificing himself for the good of others making him a surprising hero although this wouldn't be immediately apparent to the people he saved.

Another theory I heard runs along the same lines of it being an alternate universe with a finite end time that is given by Frank at the beginning of the movie, the actions of every person in this reality is there to guide Donnie towards his destiny at the end of the movie and that there actions are driven by God (Donnie speaks at length about his issues with the universe and there is a lot of religious symbolism throughout especially in the Director's cut). So on a subconscious level the people in Donnie's life drive him to create a time portal just before the universe collapses where he sends the jet engine from the plane his parents were on to land on his bedroom with him inside so that the last 28 days we've just seen never existed.

The final scenes of all the people Donnie knew waking up slightly haunted by what's happened and in some way knowing something strange has happened to the backdrop of Mad World by Gary Jules was a fantastic way to end it all.

3.5/4 Extremely clever and subtle film